Konoha Village Prison.
Shinju brought people to meet Chino and Fūshin.
"Do you want to work under me?" Shinju asked straight to the point.
Chino immediately sneered, "In your dreams. You locked us up for so long, and now you want us to help you? Dream on! (*Ӧ)σ"
Fūshin nodded in agreement, "What Chino says makes sense!"
Shinju had long guessed these two wouldn't be easily tamed and said cheerfully,
"Do you two have any idea how big of a crime you've committed? You've killed so many people..."
Chino continued to sneer, "So what? վ--0027ᴗ--0027 ի"
Shinju smiled playfully, "Fine, I like this rebellious look of yours."
As he spoke, Shinju's eyes turned into the Sharingan, and he activated his ocular jutsu!
"You two will spend a year inside the world of Genjutsu. During this year, I will make you suffer to the fullest! (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ."
A few minutes passed in the real world...
Chino and Fūshin knelt on the ground begging for mercy, "We were wrong! We were really wrong! We were talking too loud just now! ꒦ິ^꒦ິ"
Shinju: "Don't be like that, I still prefer that rebellious look you had just now. (ﾉ∇︎〃 )"
Chino: "What are you saying? We are subdued by your moral character!"
Fūshin couldn't help nodding, "Yes, yes, yes, you convinced us with virtue! ꈨຶꎁꈨຶ"
Seeing the two behave, Shinju let them out of the cell, "You two go to the Land of Silence..."
After everything was arranged, Shinju walked out of the prison.
On the way, Naruto asked cautiously, "These two don't look reliable, can we really trust them?"
"Also, they committed such a huge mistake, why keep them alive? (｡í _ ì｡)"
Shinju: "Both of them are Kekkei Genkai users, keeping them is useful for the village."
"A large tree not only has the canopy and trunk bathed in sunlight, but it also needs a root system buried deep underground."
Hearing Shinju say this, Naruto's look at Shinju changed,
"That makes so much sense, but I feel like I've heard that somewhere before. ヘ(_ _ヘ)"
Shinju laughed, "That old Danzō used to like saying things like that, but there is indeed some truth to it."
Naruto pouted, "Well, he still died in the end."
"The 'Root' he managed grew above ground; if he didn't die, who would? ┐(´-｀)┌"
After speaking, Shinju walked quickly out of the prison.
Behind them, Shikamaru timely reminded Naruto, "Watch closely and learn well. Being Hokage doesn't just require powerful strength and a heart that cares for everyone, it also requires a certain amount of political strategy."
Naruto seemed to understand but not quite, "Does Shinju need schemes and plots too?"
Shikamaru shook his head, "He doesn't need them. He's so strong he doesn't need to play mind games. 눈_눈"
Naruto: "Then just now, he..."
Shikamaru: "He probably just thought it was fun. (ー ー゛)"
...
Some time later.
Shinju finished his day's work, bought some groceries on the way, and went home.
As soon as he got home, Shinju collapsed onto the sofa,
"Feels like there are endless things to deal with every day."
"Naruto, Naruto..."
"Where is he? Don't tell me he went out on a date again! (||๐_๐)"
Just as Shinju was pondering whether to cook or just throw something together for tonight.
"Knock knock knock—"
The door was knocked.
Immediately after, Ino's sweet voice came from outside, "Shinju, work must have been tiring today. Here's some food I prepared for you..."
Hearing this, Shinju's eyes lit up. Getting to eat without cooking himself was just too awesome. (ﾉ∇︎〃 )
Soon, Ino, carrying the food, was invited into the house by Shinju.
"Are you the only one home? Where are Naruto and Sasuke?" Ino asked carefully, the smile on her face almost impossible to control!
Great, Sasuke and Naruto aren't home!
Tonight is my alone time with Shinju!! (^з^)
I'm definitely bagging him! ୧⍢⃝୨
While unpacking the food Ino brought, Shinju answered, "Sasuke is on a mission, and Naruto probably went on a date..."
"Thanks Ino for preparing such a lavish meal, I'm digging in..."
A few minutes later, Shinju, suffering from food poisoning, fell stiffly to the ground...
Ino: (๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!
"Ah, Shinju! Shinju, are you okay?! ∑(°Д°)"
After a good while, Shinju came back to his senses, "I'm fine, my physical constitution is strong enough, the toxins will be expelled soon..."
"Ino, don't cook next time..." Shinju's voice was hoarse.
Ino was so anxious she was about to cry,
"I usually cook at home too, and my family eats it without any problems. Why did you..."
Saying that, Ino also tasted a bite of the dish she made!
"Thud!"
As soon as the food went down, Ino collapsed and lost consciousness!
Shinju: (≖╻≖;)
"This is too exaggerated!"
...
Konoha Ninja Hospital.
Ino opened her eyes and slowly woke up.
"Where am I..."
Shinju explained with a serious face from the side, "There was nothing wrong with your cooking. We were poisoned. (눈‸눈)"
"And it was a potent drug..."
"If my constitution weren't strong enough, and if I hadn't been there when you fainted, we would probably be..."
Hearing this, Ino looked terrified, "How could something like this happen? Has the true culprit behind the poisoning been found? (꒪⌓꒪) "
Shinju shook his head, "I've already sent the Anbu to investigate. Think back carefully, did the food pass through anyone else's hands after you made it..."
"No one else..." Ino immediately shook her head.
"Alright, it's fine. Be careful these next couple of days, I'll send a clone to take care of you..." After giving his instructions, Shinju walked out of the hospital.
Just as he stepped out, he ran head-on into Naruto, who was rushing to the hospital.
Naruto was also carrying a boy in his hand.
Naruto was shocked when he saw Shinju, "I heard you were hospitalized for food poisoning, you recovered that fast?! ⊙▽⊙"
Shinju was speechless, "Do I look like someone who would get poisoned? Ino was the one poisoned."
"By the way, you be careful these next couple of days too. I'm going to find the person who poisoned the food, I'm off..."
Naruto spoke up, "No need to go, I've already caught the person. (๑ت๑)"
Saying that, Naruto showed off the little boy he had caught.
Shinju looked at the child, his face full of disbelief,
"Him? He looks eight at most! He was the one who put poison in Ino's food? ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞"
Naruto didn't explain much; he let go of the boy and glared, saying, "Explain it yourself! ╰_╯"
Seeing this situation, the boy was so scared his legs went weak. He knelt on the ground, snot and tears running down his face, and said,
"I really didn't know it was poison. I just took the chance when Ino wasn't paying attention and poured a little into the food she was making..."
Shinju: "Who put you up to this?! ꐦ≖ ≖"
After asking, Shinju felt it was too much effort for the boy to answer, so he used the Mind Transfer Jutsu to look through his memories and locked onto the culprit!
A few minutes later, a man with a defiant look and a full beard was escorted into the Hokage's office!
He was the mastermind behind the poisoning, the biological father of the boy Naruto caught.
Furthermore, he was a former member of 'Root' and also had connections with Gengo; his background was extremely complex!
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